Hacienda San Agustin de Callo Cotopaxi Ecuador

This hacienda has seen a lot of history over the last five centuries. Originally an Incan fortress, it later served as an Augustinian monastery. The French Geodesic mission used it as a triangulation point to measure the equator in 1748, and Alexander von Humboldt stayed here in 1802 and climber Edward Whymper in 1880. The owner is the warm-hearted Mignon Plaza, the granddaughter of a former Ecuadorian president. The distinctive mortarless Incan stonework that forms many of the walls makes this hotel unique and mysterious; excavations and investigations by North American researchers are ongoing. The hacienda is also the site of indigenous celebrations around the solstices. All the rooms have at least two fireplaces, one in the bedroom and one in the bathroom. Rates include breakfast, dinner and guided activities such as fishing, hiking, mountain biking and two hours of horseback riding.